Bandaging device

ABSTRACT

A wound care device that can be effectively attached to a wide range of wound locations without the use of any adhesives, can apply controlled, consistent pressure to the wound, and can be configured to allow the clinician to see relevant areas of the patient&#39;s body is disclosed. The wound care device includes a contact pad connected with a securing strap. The securing strap includes an inelastic strap segment and an elastic strap segment. The elastic strap segment is coupled with an attachment segment, which attaches to the inelastic strap segment and cooperates with the elastic strap segment to compress the contact pad to the wound.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/898,107, filed on Feb. 15, 2018, entitled“BANDAGING DEVICE”, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 62/459,474, filed on Feb. 15, 2017, entitled“BANDAGING DEVICE”, each of which are incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to wound care, and in particularto a device for bandaging a wound without adhering to the wearer's skin,or causing discomfortor an adverse reaction by the wearer.

A wound to a person can include a puncture, cut, scrape or blunt forcetrauma, particularly originating at the person's skin. Wounds aretypically treated by application of a wound care device to the wound,and often directly.

Wound care devices include a range of different dressings and pads thatcan be applied to limit or control blood flow from a wound, facilitateor promote clotting at the wound site, and/or protect a wound site fromcontamination. Most preferred wound care devices include an elastic oradhesive bandage. Elastics bandages are highly adaptable to treat arange of wounds and conform to virtually any body part, and provide manybenefits at the wound site, including applying varying degrees ofcompression and support to the wound, as well as providing a sterilebarrier around the wound. Adhesive bandages irritate the patient's skin,pull on hair near the wound, or might interfere with the wound itself

However, existing wound care devices, in particular those with elasticor adhesive bandages, have a limited ability to limit or control bloodflow, are difficult to attach effectively to wounds in certain locationsor on certain parts of the body, can irritate the patient's skin, andmay interfere with the clinician's ability to see the wound or otherrelevant parts of the patient's body. Further, some conventional woundcare devices can be difficult to apply to the wound or attach to thepatient.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes these limitations of the prior art,providing a simple, inexpensive wound care device that can beeffectively attached to a wide range of wound locations without the useof any adhesives, can apply controlled, consistent pressure to thewound, and can be configured to allow the clinician to see relevantareas of the patient's body.

In some aspects, a wound care device for compressively covering a woundon a body part of a patient is disclosed. The wound care device includesa contact pad having a thickness, and an elongated securing strapconnected with the contact pad. The elongated securing strap has a topside, a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end, and the contactpad is connected on the bottom side toward the proximal end of theelongated securing strap. The elongated securing strap further has aninelastic strap segment formed of a substantially inelastic material, anelastic strap segment formed of a substantially elastic material, and anattachment strap segment at the distal end of the elongated securingstrap proximate the elastic strap segment and being configured tosecurely attach to the top side of the elongated securing strap when thecontact pad covers the wound of the patient and the elongated securingstrap is wound around the body part of the patient. The elastic strapsegment cooperates with the attachment strap segment when the attachmentstrap segment is attached to the top side of the elongated securingstrap to apply a compression force by the elongated securing strap tothe thickness of the contact pad to compress the contact pad on thewound. The thickness of the contact pad allows the elongated securingstrap to be offset from the skin of the patient to provide furthercompression force.

In some other aspects, a wound care device includes an elongatedsecuring strap having a top side, a bottom side, a proximal end and adistal end. The elongated securing strap has an inelastic strap segmentformed of a substantially inelastic material, an elastic strap segmentformed of a substantially elastic material, and an attachment strapsegment at the distal end of the elongated securing strap proximate theelastic strap segment and being configured to securely attach to the topside of the elongated securing strap when the elongated securing strapis wound around the body part of the patient. The device furtherincludes a contact pad connected on the bottom side toward the proximalend of the elongated securing strap. The elastic strap segmentcooperates with the attachment strap segment when the attachment strapsegment is attached to the top side of the elongated securing strap toapply a compression force by the elongated securing strap to the contactpad to compress the contact pad on the wound.

In yet other aspects, a method of compressively covering a wound on abody part of a patient is presented. In some implementations, the methodincludes applying, to the wound, a contact pad connected to a bottomside of an elongated securing strap, the elongated securing strap havinga top side, a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end. Theelongated securing strap has an inelastic strap segment formed of asubstantially inelastic material, an elastic strap segment formed of asubstantially elastic material, and an attachment strap segment at thedistal end of the elongated securing strap proximate the elastic strapsegment. The method further includes wrapping the elongated securingstrap around the body part of the patient while maintaining theapplication of the contact pad to the wound. The method further includesattaching the attachment strap segment to the top side of the elongatedsecuring strap while at least partially elongating the elastic strapsegment of the elongated securing strap, to apply a compression force bythe elongated securing strap to the contact pad to compress the contactpad on the wound.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features and advantages willbe apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects will now be described in detail with referenceto the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the top view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe wound care device described herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the side view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe wound care device described herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the top view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe wound care device described herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the side view of an exemplary embodiment ofthe wound care device described herein.

FIG. 5 is a photograph showing an exemplary embodiment of the wound caredevice on a patient's arm.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a perspective view of an exemplaryembodiment of the wound care device described herein rolled for storage.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes a simple, inexpensive wound care device that canbe effectively attached to a wide range of wound locations without theuse of any adhesives, can apply controlled, consistent pressure to thewound, and can be configured to allow the clinician to see relevantareas of the patient's body.

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the implementations described herein. Forpurposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present inventions. Descriptions ofspecific embodiments or applications are provided only as examples.Various modifications to the embodiments or implementations will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and general principlesdefined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applicationswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, thepresent disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodimentsshown, but is to be accorded the widest possible scope consistent withthe principles and features disclosed herein. Moreover, in the presentdisclosure various devices are described and set forth with regard toseveral embodiments. It is contemplated that features of the disclosedembodiments may be combined in any manner as may be desired for variousapplications and implementations.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, in various exemplary embodiments, a wound caredevice 100 may include a securing strap 102, a wound contact pad 104, anelastic strap segment 106 and an attachment strap segment 108. In someimplementations, the securing strap 102 is elongated and has a top side,a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end. In theseimplementations, the elongated securing strap includes an inelasticstrap segment 110 formed of a substantially inelastic material, and theelastic strap segment 106 is formed of a substantially elastic material.The attachment strap segment 108 is positioned or connected at thedistal end of the elongated securing strap 102 proximate the elasticstrap segment 106, and is configured to securely attach to the top sideof the elongated securing strap 102 when the elongated securing strap102 is wound or wrapped around the body part of the patient.

In some implementations, the inelastic strap segment 110 of theelongated securing strap 102 has a length configured so as to be theonly contact with the patient's body part apart from the contact pad 104covering the wound of the patient. Accordingly, in some implementations,the elastic strap segment 106 has a length that is less than one-thirdof a length of the inelastic strap segment 110, and more particularlyless than one-sixth of the length of the inelastic strap segment 110.

As shown in FIG. 5, the securing strap 102 may be wrapped around thepart of the body where the wound is located such that the attachmentstrap segment comes into contact with the back side of the securingstrap and attaches thereto. In various exemplary embodiments, theattachment strap segment has an attaching surface that can attach to theback of the securing strap at any point or at a range of locations toallow the user to adjust the length and apply the bandage to a range ofdifferent sized body parts, and to allow the user to adjust the amountof pressure or compression exerted on the wound. The attaching surfacecan include, without limitation, hooks, loops, snaps, pins, adhesivematerial(s), or the like. In some preferred implementations, at leastthe inelastic strap segment of the securing strap 102 is formed of afabric or woven fabric, and the attaching surface of the attachmentstrap segment 108 includes a number of small hooks that can attach tothe fabric or woven fabric of the top surface of the inelastic strapsegment of the securing strap 102.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the wound contact pad 104 may be positioned onthe front surface of securing strap 102 at a location distal from theattachment strap segment 108. In various exemplary embodiments, however,the location of the contact pad 104 on the securing strap 102 can bevaried to effectively position the contact pad 104 for wounds in variouslocations on various parts of the body.

In various exemplary embodiments, the contact pad 104 may be affixed tothe securing strap 102, or it may be provided separate from the securingstrap and provided with an adhesive surface on the side opposite to theside that will be in contact with the wound such that the contact pad104 can be attached to the securing strap 102 at any location along thesecuring strap 102. The ability to affix the contact pad 104 at anylocation the securing strap allows the clinician to customize theposition of the contact pad 104 to bandage the wound effectivelyregardless of location. A separate contact pad 104 may also be trimmedor cut to customize the contact pad 104 based on the nature orcharacteristics of the wound or the wound site.

In various exemplary embodiments, the contact pad 104 may be made of anysuitable material, including non-stick pads, gauze, or any otherappropriate wound care materials. The contact pad 104 may also beconstructed of a multi-layered material, and it may be any suitablethickness. For example, for applications where targeted compression isdesirable, the contact pad 104 may include more rigid materials and/ormay be either elevated or made of a thicker material such thatadditional compression is targeted directly on the wound site. Thecontact pad 104 may also be made from a highly absorbent and/or fluidretaining material such as super absorbent polymers (SAPs), sometimesreferred to as slush powders, cellulose or fiber-based absorbentmaterials, or any other suitable absorbent material.

In some implementations, the contact pad 104 has a first thickness, inan uncompressed state, of between 0.1 and 2 centimeters or more, and asecond thickness in a compressed state of 0.01 and 1 centimeters ormore. The second thickness, which displaces the securing strap from thepatient's skin at the wound site proximate the contact pad 104, can beadjusted according to an amount of compression applied to the contactpad 104 by the elastic strap segment 106 cooperating with the attachmentstrap segment 108.

The contact pad 104 is preferably thicker than typical bandages orabsorbent surfaces in order to provide additional downward compressionbecause of an angle of the securing strap 102, and in particular theinelastic strap segment, down from the contact pad 104, to stop bloodflow. The contact pad 104 thickness also offsets the securing strap 102from the patient's skin proximate the wound and/or contact pad 104, tofurther reduce pain, skin irritation, blistering and/or skin breakdownexperienced with conventional bandage devices.

An elastic strap segment 106 may be attached to the securing strap 102using any appropriate means, including without limitation adhesives,stitching, welding (such as radio frequency or ultrasonic welding), etc.While shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as overlapping with the securing strap 102,the elastic strap segment 106 can be attached in any suitable wayincluding overlapping on the side of the securing strap 102 opposite tothe side with the contact pad 104, overlapping on the same side of thesecuring strap 102 as the contact pad 104, or abutting the end of thesecuring strap 102. The elastic strap segment 106 is shown located atone end, i.e. distal end, of the securing strap 102, but in variousexemplary embodiments it may be positioned at either end of the securingstrap 102, or it can be located at an intermediate point within thesecuring strap 102.

The elastic strap segment 106 cooperates with the attachment strapsegment 108, when the attachment strap segment 108 is attached to thetop side of the elongated securing strap 102, to apply a compressionforce by the elongated securing strap 102 to the thickness of thecontact pad to compress the contact pad on the wound. Preferably, whenthe securing strap 102 is wrapped or wound around a body part of apatient, only the inelastic strap segment of the securing strap 102contacts the patient's skin, other than the contact made by the contactpad 104 to the wound and the patient's skin proximate the wound.

In various exemplary embodiments, the elastic strap segment can beeliminated or integrated into the securing strap, and the attachmentstrap segment can be attached directly to the securing strap, or can beformed on the securing strap itself by affixing a removable attachmentmaterial to the securing strap directly. The attachment strap segment108 can include a hook-and-loop type fastener, such as only micro-hooksfor attaching to the top side of the securing strap 102.

The securing strap 102 itself can be made from an appropriate elastic orinelastic material, or from various materials having different amountsof elasticity to manage the location and degree of compression. Forinstance, the securing strap 102 can be made of cloth or syntheticmaterials, or multiple layers of fabric such as cotton, hemp, bamboo,microfiber, or even plastic fibers such as a thermoplastic, such aspolylactic acid (PLA), dual polylactic acid (DPLA), or the like.

The attachment strap segment 108 may be attached to the elastic strapsegment 106 or it may be attached to an end of the securing strap 102.The attachment strap segment 106 may be attached in any suitableconfiguration including overlapping or abutting and using any suitableattachment means including without limitation adhesives, stitching,welding, etc.

In some implementations, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact pad104 being placed proximate a proximal end of the securing strap 102, andthe elastic strap segment 106 and attachment strap segment 108,respectively, being placed at a distal end of the securing strap 102,allows a clinician to: a) place or contact the contact pad 104 to awound site on a body part of a patient; b) while holding the contact pad104 in place, wrap the securing strap 102 around the body part of thepatient until the distal end of the securing strap overlaps the proximalend of the securing strap, and preferably overlaps the top side of thesecuring strap 102 opposite a position of the contact pad 104; c)position the attachment strap segment 108 on the top side of thesecuring strap 102 to elongate the elastic strap segment 106, to apply adesired compression force to the securing strap 102 and onto the contactpad 104, in which, preferably, only the inelastic strap segment of thesecuring strap 102 contacts the patient's skin other than the contactpad 104; and d) secure the attachment strap segment 108 on the top sideof the securing strap 102 to maintain the contact pad 104 on the woundsite of the body part.

In various exemplary embodiments, the attachment strap segment 108 maybe provided with a means for removably attaching the attachment strapsegment 108 to the securing strap 102 and/or the elastic strap segment106. In an exemplary embodiment, the front surface of the attachmentstrap segment 108 may include hook and loop type of fasteners that canremovable attach to the back surface of the securing strap 102 and/orthe back surface of the elastic strap segment 106. Any other suitableattachment means may be used, including adhesives, hooks, etc. Invarious exemplary embodiments, the attachment means is configured suchthat it can be removably attached to the back surface of the securingstrap 102 or the elastic strap segment 106 at any location.

To use the wound care device 100, the contact pad 104 may be positionedon the wound, and the securing strap 102 may be wrapped around the bodypart where the wound is located such that the attachment strap segmentcan be put in contact with and removably attached to the back side ofthe securing strap 103 and/or the elastic strap segment 106. The elasticstrap segment 106 can be stretched or contracted to adjust the locationof such attachment, and thereby control the tightness of the wound caredevice 100 and the amount of pressure the contact pad exerts on thewound.

Referring to FIG. 6, the wound care device 100 can be rolled up forstorage and shipping, such that the attachment strap segment can beremovably attached to the securing strap 102 or the elastic strapsegment 106 to maintain the wound care device in a rolled upconfiguration.

The resulting wound care device avoids any contact between adhesives orsimilar substances and the patient's skin, while providing secure woundcare applied with appropriate pressure. It will be readily understoodthat the various exemplary components described above can by rearrangedinto various different configurations.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, othermodifications are possible. Other embodiments may be within the scope ofthe following claims.

1. A wound care device for compressing against an area of a body part of a patient, the wound care device comprising: a first strap formed of a substantially inelastic material, the first strap having a top side, a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end; a contact pad affixed to the bottom side and positioned near the proximal end of the first strap, the contact pad having a thickness and being configured for placement against the area of the body part of the patient; a second strap formed of a substantially elastic material having elongation elasticity, the second strap having a proximal end connected to the distal end of the first strap; and an attachment connected to a distal end of the second strap opposite the first strap, and being configured to securely attach to the top side of the first strap when the contact pad is placed against the area of the body part of the patient and the first strap is wound around the body part of the patient, and to elongate the second strap such that the second strap applies a compression force from the elongation elasticity to the first strap to compress the contact pad to the area of the body part of the patient when the attachment is attached to the top side of the first strap.
 2. The wound care device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first strap has a length configured so as to be the only contact with the body part of the patient apart from the contact pad.
 3. The wound care device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second strap has a length that is less than one-third of a length of the first strap.
 4. The wound care device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the thickness of the contact pad in an uncompressed state is between 0.1 and 2 centimeters.
 5. The wound care device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contact pad includes a fluid absorbent layer.
 6. The wound care device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first strap is formed of at least one layer of fabric that is substantially inelastic.
 7. A wound care device for compressing against a body part of a patient, the wound care device comprising: an inelastic strap having a top side, a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end; a contact pad affixed to the bottom side and positioned near the proximal end of the inelastic strap, the contact pad having a thickness and being configured for placement against the body part of the patient; an elastic strap having elongation elasticity, the elastic strap having a proximal end connected to the distal end of the inelastic strap; and an attachment connected to a distal end of the elastic strap opposite the inelastic strap, and being configured to securely attach to the top side of the inelastic strap when the contact pad is placed against the body part of the patient and the inelastic strap is wound around the body part of the patient, and to elongate the elastic strap such that the elastic strap applies a compression force from the elongation elasticity to the inelastic strap and the contact pad affixed thereto, to compress the contact pad to the body part of the patient.
 8. The wound care device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inelastic strap has a length configured so as to be the only contact with the body part of the patient apart from the contact pad.
 9. The wound care device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the elastic strap has a length that is less than one-third of a length of the inelastic strap.
 10. The wound care device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the thickness of the contact pad in an uncompressed state is between 0.1 and 2 centimeters.
 11. The wound care device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the contact pad includes a fluid absorbent layer.
 12. The wound care device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inelastic strap is formed of at least one layer of fabric that is substantially inelastic in a longitudinal direction.
 13. An apparatus for compressing a contact pad against an area of a body part of a patient, the contact pad having a thickness in an uncompressed state that is between 0.1 and 2 centimeters and being configured for placement and compression against the area of the body part of the patient, the apparatus comprising: an inelastic strap having a top side, a bottom side, a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the bottom side of the inelastic strap having the contact pad affixed thereto; an elastic strap having elongation elasticity, the elastic strap having a proximal end connected to the distal end of the inelastic strap; and an attachment connected to a distal end of the elastic strap opposite the inelastic strap, and being configured to securely attach to the top side of the inelastic strap when the contact pad is placed against the area of the body part of the patient and the inelastic strap is wound around the body part of the patient, and to elongate the elastic strap such that the elastic strap applies a compression force from the elongation elasticity to the inelastic strap and the contact pad affixed thereto, to compress the contact pad to the area of the body part of the patient.
 14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 13, wherein the inelastic strap has a length configured so as to be the only contact with the body part of the patient apart from the contact pad.
 15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 13, wherein the elastic strap has a length that is less than one-third of a length of the inelastic strap.
 16. The apparatus in accordance with claim 13, wherein the inelastic strap is formed of at least one layer of fabric that is substantially inelastic in a longitudinal direction. 